I'm an MCPS elementary school teacher...AMA
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Anonymous
Take a deep breath. I’m not personally attacking you. I promise. As a teacher I am required to give tests on certain applications. I would rather give it on paper, but I can’t. I will always choose to teach a concept directly instead of showing a video about it even though a video is easier. Some teachers let their students go on Chromebooks when they’re done with their work and I don’t do that. I have other non tech educational options. I am deeply afraid of how the screens are negatively affecting this generation. In school and at home, they’re getting it on all sides, and it’s not proving to be good for them academically or socio Emotionally. I truly care for my students and want the best for them. That’s it, I don’t have any agenda or vendetta against anyone’s choices, I’m just worried that the ramifications will be greater than we realize. |
Anonymous
The problem is not that classrooms need to be ability grouped, it's that the pacing assumes every student will get every concept in the same amount of time. The reality is some kids will get it sooner, some will get it in the average, and for some it will take longer. And who gets what when can change depending on subject and concept. |
Anonymous
BS BS BS BS Every school has behavioral issues And privates do not have good counselors in case there are bigger problems. All girls private LOL bullying and mean girls hello |
Anonymous
As OP stated in this thread, most of the behavioral issues she sees at elem level are from boys. An all-girls school addresses that. Our private has a good counselor at elementary level, but I can't state that's the same for all privates. |
Anonymous
At our private, each classrom is 15-18, trending lower for the younger grades in ES. Our same DD had a classroom size of 25 in K in public, and 30 in 2nd grade. I think a big draw at privates for teachers is your kid can attend for reduced or free tuition (in our case, the all-girls school has a brother school where teachers can send their sons), and they provide free on-site pre-K only for teacher's children (our school starts at 3rd grade). I guess the lower salaries are addressed by those benefits, at least for teachers with children. |
Anonymous
It's more nuanced than either you or the PP are making it out. Yes, girls engage in misbehavior, in both public and private school. Critically, though, the original comment from the OP about 99% of behavioral problems coming from boys is obviously looking at this from the perspective of behavior that is *disruptive* in a classroom environment. For a teacher, this is the behavior they care most about. So kids who won't pay attention, distract other kids, refuse to do assigned work, talk back, etc., are going to the ones whose misbehavior teachers notice. The teacher is trying to teach, this behavior makes that much harder. And you see this behavior much more often from boys, especially in elementary and MS. The misbehavior I see most often in girls is relational aggression. If you are a parent or a teacher, please look up what this is. Relational aggression not only tends not to be disruptive in classrooms, it can sometimes appear to a teacher to be helpful behavior. For instance, I've seen 3rd grade girls compete for their teacher's good graces, compete over who has the best handwriting, who is the best reader. To a teacher, this will mostly look like a positive because the girls involved will work extra hard in the classroom in order to attract positive attention. What the teacher might not see is how the girl who excels in the classroom will gloat about the teacher's praise at recess, how girls who struggle with certain academics might be teased or even ridiculed by the more successful girls for struggling. They won't do this in the classroom because it will attract negative attention from the teacher and girls know this. The teasing, exclusion, and gossip will occur outside the classroom and away from parental eyes when possible (except for the parents who encourage and participate in these behaviors, which is sadly not uncommon). All of this sucks, and you will absolutely find it in private all girls schools. However, from the teacher's perspective, it's not relevant to classroom management, which is what is being discussed in this thread. It's a social and behavioral problem and can happen at public and private schools, but it's not likely to bring math class to a grinding halt the way a kid who refuses to participate and protests loudly will. And that kid is likely to be a boy. Parents have to worry about both kinds of misbehavior. Teachers will be focused on the latter. That's what is happening here. |
Anonymous
| As a mom of two well-behaved (by all teacher accounts) teenage boys, the OP’s comment struck me because it often felt like elementary educators strongly favored girls to the detriment of boys. But I saw plenty of poor behavior by girls as well (Focus school). |
Anonymous
DP here, but also a teacher. For every one post where a teacher is “bashing” a parent, there are easily 20 in which posters are tearing apart teachers. And what often passes for “bashing” is a comment regarding what may/may not be happening at home. And as a teacher, I can tell you we often hear what happens at home. Out of the mouth of babes… |
Anonymous
+1 As the mom of multiple well behaved boys all throughout school I also agree. Tolerance for girl back talk and attitude is much higher than for boys. |
Anonymous
It’s because the girls do it on the playground and at lunch so the teachers don’t hear. |
Anonymous
| What do you think about the parents who are convinced there kids are geniuses and want to have them taught advanced work? Like moving grades ahead in math etc |
Anonymous
| A MS girl recently put a MS boy in the ICU at an MCPS school, so I think we can dispense with the notion that girls don’t have behavior problems. |
Anonymous
There are more parents than teachers and only a tiny minority of either group posts on DCUM and a tiny minority of them bashes the other group as a group. Using the other group as an excuse for talking sh&t about all teachers or parents is a.lame excuse and just makes you look worse. As for what you hear from kids, if you are attributing that to "parents" as a group, that is going to piss people off and not going engender much sympathy. Because it's a dumb a petty thing to do. |
Anonymous
Are you one of the teachers that belittles Black and Latino families for advocating for their academically advanced kids that you dismiss because you literally can't imagine a Black or Brown kid being smart? |
Anonymous
I’m a different teacher (and also a parent of boys), but here’s the difference: when boys goof off in my class it involves wrestling and throwing things and hitting. When girls goof off it involves tattling and excluding others. I absolutely have to prevent physical injuries in my class so the boys are the ones I must focus on here. |